Smit claims consecutive title at Jock Cycle Tour
"I think the Jock is one of the hardest tours in South Africa, so just to finish the race is tough."
Local cyclist Willie Smit of team RoadCover retained his Bestmed Jock Tour title over the weekend, after wrestling the lead from overnight front runner Nico Bell in the final climb. “I think the Jock is one of the hardest tours in South Africa, so just to finish the race is tough,” said Smit. “I really worked hard, so for me to push through and get the win, I’m really happy for me and the team.”
Considered as the most gruelling tour and the ultimate test for SA’s top road cyclists, there was simply nowhere to hide. With a total distance of 304 kilometres and a whopping 7 200 metres of vertical ascent, it is the only local race in which participants are tested according to European standards. “It presented a massive, continuous climbing challenge,” Smit said, but the 23-year-old was very pleased with his comeback after suffering serious injuries in a crash in France in April.
On the opening day, the day that set the tone for the remainder of the event, JC Nel made a flying start on the 27-kilometre stretch from Mbombela to Kaapsehoop. The 24-year-old Nel, from Honeydew in Johannesburg, edged top tour title contenders Bell, who was second, and defending champion Smit, for the top place on the podium in perfect conditions.
On the second day, the longest stretch of the tour, Smit showed that he was getting back to his best when he took first spot on the podium. Smit finished the stage that took riders from Mbombela Stadium through White River and Sabie before returning to Mbombela via the Long Tom Pass, in 3:53:24. Bell, also from Mbombela, was awarded the same time. Smit’s team-mate Mornay van Heerden, who set up the winning move, crossed the line in 3:53:42 to finish third.
This stage is largely the same route used by the traditional one-day Bestmed Jock Classique, which consists of three stages totalling 154 kilometres with 2 900 metres of climbing, which took place on the same day.
“I wasn’t really under pressure the whole day, except on the Long Tom Pass when I had to cover quite a few moves,” said Smit.
The performance of the day belonged to Altech Autopage’s Pieter Seyffert, who made a bold solo move after the neutral zone and extended his advantage to more than four minutes over the next 80 kilometres.
Seyffert took the first two sprint primes and the king of the mountains hotspots on Spitskop and Long Tom Pass before the chasing dozen finally reeled him in at the 90-kilometre mark.
The third and final stage, which featured 3 100 metres of vertical climbing, covered the traditional one-day Jock Classique route from Mbombela to Kaapmuiden and Barberton finishing in Mbombela.
This 132-kilometre final stage was just as challenging as Smit expected. “Although it included the boulders (12 kilometres at
14 per cent) and hilltop (five kilometres at 10 per cent) climbs, it was the 50-kilometre stretch to Barberton and then the hilltop ascent (40-kilometre uphill) just before the finish that made the difference.”
“Mbombela has one of the hardest cycling terrains in South Africa. The route was undulating and riders could easily blow completely on a long climb and lose minutes,” Wynand de Villiers of ASG Events said. “We wanted to create an ‘honest test’ for the country’s elite riders, and we certainly did. It was a war of attrition.”
